Hisham El-Osta is an economist with the Rural Economy Branch in ERS's Resource and Rural Economics Division. He is responsible for research pertinent to the labor allocation decisions of farm operator households and to the measurement of disparity in the distribution of households' income and wealth. His research responsibilities since joining ERS in 1989 also included measurement of the technical efficiency in farm production, and examination of the determinants of technology adoption and of their impact on production performance.

Background:

Prior to joining ERS, Hisham worked as a research assistant at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln where he worked with Professor Glenn Helmers on numerous research projects, with special emphasis on the role of risk in agricultural production.

Education:

Hisham holds B.S. degrees in Agronomy and Economics and an M.S. degree in Agricultural Economics from Iowa State University, and a Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Professional Affiliations:

Hisham is a member of the Northeastern Agricultural Economics Association.

El-Osta, H. and M. Morehart. "Welfare Decomposition in the Context of the Life Cycle of Farm Operators: What Does a National Survey Reveal?" Agricultural and Resource Economics Review. Vol. 38, No. 2(October 2009):125-141.

El-Osta, H. "The Determinants of a Quality of Life Indicator for Farm Operator Households: Application of Zero-Inflated Count-Data Models." Journal of Applied Research in Quality of Life. Vol. 2, No. 3 (September 2007):145-163.

Mishra, A., and H. El-Osta. "Factors Affecting Succession Decisions in Family Farm Businesses: Evidence from a National Survey." Journal of the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers. Vol. 70, No. 1 (2007):1-10.